Road spreading machine



Feb. 25, 1930. A. N. NICKERSON 1,748,141

ROAD SPREADING MACHINE Filed Oct. ll, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 k w @man WE! Gnommys Feb. 25, l 930. A N, NICKERSON 1,748,141

ROAD SPREADING MACHINE Filed 0st. ll, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 sag JMM)Feb. 25, 1930. A, N, NICKERSON 1,748,141

ROAD SPREADING MACHINE Filed Oct. 1l, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 v Feb. 25,1930. A. N. NICKERSON ROAD SPREADING MACHINE Filed 0G13. 1l`, 1927 5Sheets-Sheet 4 l AMA/hieraan am @ima Y attozmujb Feb. 25, 1930. A NNlCKERsON 1,748,141

ROAD SPREADING MACHINE Filed oct. `11, 1927 5 sheets-sheet 5 E a im 1.Nl Y

l @o 0) I I' l Q I lll v A. 1f/Wakeman E Patented Feb. k25, 1930 l y:UNrED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALMA N, NIGKEESON, OE NEW BEDFORD,MAssAonusETTs, ASSIGNOE, BY MEsNE ASSIGNMENTS, To HIGHWAY SEEvIcE,INCORPORATED, OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSA- y.orIUsETTs A vCORPORATION OEMASSACHUSETTS ROAD srEE'ADING MACHINE Application. filed october v11,1927. serial No. 225,574.

This invention relates to road surfacing machines for spreading sand'orpeastone orvv other granular materials Or the like having means toevenly ,distribute the surfacmg yme- 5, dial in selective meteredquantities.

An Object Yof the present invention is to provide a road spreadingmachine with means yfor discharging variably metered quantities A jofthe surfacing mediato thereby optionally` Y 1Q Avary the thickness ofthe spread.

Another object of theinvention is to provide an adjustable pivot brushwhich is angularly disposed with respect to the feed roll aprovided bythe hopper,`which brush is characterized by its ability to permit largepieces Such as rocks or roots or the like to be discharged from thehopper Without substantialf ly disturbing theeventhickness of the spreadmaterial On the surface of the road.

Another object of the invention relates to the provision of apluralityof independently adjustable shutters located within the confines of thehopper, which shutters are selectively operable to vary the width of thehopper outlet and thereby secure a distribution ofthe mineralsy on theroad of any desired width. j

Another object of the invention is to provide supplemental sets ofadjustable brushes andk shutters, functioning as aforesaid, for takingcare of space occupied by the wheels of the spreader and by virtue ofwhich the surfacing minerals or :materials may be discharged from theentir'e Width of the machine and in advance of the wheels thereof.

The invention further comprehends the 'f idea ,of pivotally4 securingthe spreader frame to the rear of the tractorin suchv a manner that thespreader is pushed ahead of the trac tor as distinguished from beingpulled there- 1 bythus serving to distribute the surfacing materialsahead ofthe tractor and preventing the wheels thereof from pickinguptar, etc.

f Furthermore, by ,pivotally mounting the spreader frame tothe rear ofthe tractor, a close coupling fof the tractor and spreader is possible,and a considerable.V weight of the hopper is distributedl to the rearkdriving wheels of the tractor. l

` .A still further object of the inventionis to provide a steeringmechanism operable to swing the tractor relative to the spreader tochange the angular position of the spreader irrespective of whether thetractor is in motion or not, if it is desired to utilize the spreader inrestricted areas where close handling is necessary. n

- A still further object of the invention relates to the distributingplates located in a plane below the hopper outlet and which arestaggeredly arranged with respect to one another which serve thefunction of vibrating the discharged minerals and aiding in securing amore uniform spread thereof on the road.

There are a multiplicity of subordinate objects of the invention whichwill be apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of thefollowing detailed description in conjunction with the drawings attachedhereto and forming apart hereof wherein like reference numeralsrepresent like parts, and in which Figure lis a top view oftheapparatus,

Figure 2 is a side elevation,

Figures 3, 4, and 5 are schematic views showing the various adjustedpositions of the hopper relative to the tractor, Figure 6 is a Viewpartly in section showing particularly the hopper construction,

Figure 7 is a similar view showing the shut.- ter and brushes providedfor the interior of the apparatus,

l Figure 8 is atransverse sectional view of the hopper with the shuttersmounted there- 011, Figure 9 is a detailed sectional view,y yFigure 10is a top view partly in section showing the disposition of the brushesand vibrating fingers, l

Figure l1 is a detailed sectional view of the clutching mechanism, and

Figure 12 is a detail of the tractor hitch.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, l represents thespreader machine generally which is provided with downwardlv incliningwalls constituting a hopper 2. The spreader is supported by suitablewheels 3 and 4 and has a rearwardly extending frame consisting of sidesills 5 and 6 converging in a rearward direction as shown. This spreaderis attached toa tractor of any desirable make such as for example, thewell known Fordson tractor indicated by reference numeral 7. Tn order tosecure a close couplingof the tractor to the spreader' and also todistribute considerable weight Vfrom the hopper to the tractor, the sidesills 5 and (i aforesaid are pivotally secured to the rear axle of thetractor as shown in'Fig. 12.

This pivotal arrangement consists merely of the U-shaped bracket 8attached to the aXle housing of the tractor andV having a rockable plate9 secured to the same by the Vbolt 10, which plate is fixedly secured tothe causing a movement of the chain `16 mounted on the sprockets 17 and18 respectively, causing a rotation of the pinion 19 secured to thetractor in any desired manner. In thisr connection, itv will be observedthat the front wheels of the tractor have been removed and the pinion 19substituted therefor. The rotation of this pinion' 19 by a movement ofthe wheel 13 as aforesaid causes the pinion to ride in an arcuate rack2O whereby the tractor may be moved to any desired angular position withrespect to the spreader,for instance, as shown in the detailedillustrations found in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. y

The spreader is provided with a feed roller 21 cooperating with theoutlet provided by the bottom of the hopper asshown particularly in Fig.7 This feeding roll 21 is mounted over the fiXed'aXl'e of the spreaderas shown in Fig. 11 and may be brought into operative engagement byactuation of the clutch 22 by .means of a suitable control lever 23whereby ly mounted to the hopper as'at 27 and may'y beeasily adjusted bythe hand wheel 28 l0- cated within convenient reach of theoperator onthe platform 29. The brush is composed of bristles of any desirablematerial such as fiat or round steel wire, ratan,.or the like. It willbe obvious that the brush may be adjustpermitting larve pieces suchasrocks or-roots or the like to pass through it without substantiallydisturbing the even spread of the material on the surface of the road.30 Vrepresents what I term a distributor plate consisting of a seriesvof ystaggeredly arranged spring lingers made ofvklight spring metal.These are in a constant state of vibration during A.the operation of themachine andare adapted to receive the metered minerals and numeral 31and are'selectively adjustable by control levers 32r mounted inproximity to the operators y platform 29. are supported bythe inclinedwall 33 of the hopper and vnormally overhang the feed roll 21 for thepurpose of permitting the easy rotation of the feed roll. In-otherwords, if the weight of the miiieralsrested entirely upon the feed roll2l, itrwould bevery difficult vto cause the'rotation thereof.

It is highly important in the operation of Ydressing up the'shoulders ofVroads that somey means be provided for regulating the widthL of thematerial spread as it is not desirable to spreadthe material used forthe shoulders on the road itself. This is easily accomplished by theselective control of Vthe plurality of shutters provided bymy invention.Y Furthermore, in country roads, which are covered with gravel, or othercoarse material, it is possible with my invention to lill the ruts aloneby manipulation of the shuters as .aforesaid without building up theremainder of the surface of the froad. 'Another exam-y ple of theutility of the selective control of the width of the spread is asfollows:

The shutters ics A tar distributor may spread a streak nine feet wide.If this is covered entirely, the next or. overlapping streak oftar willbeV spread upon thevalready sanded surface, which is most undesirable asthe tar will not form a properbondand much of thevalue of thewaterproofing or sealingcoat is lost. With the present machine it ispossible to cover eight feet ofthe nine and leave afoot of uncovered tarfor the next course to lap over,

thus forming aperfect bond. y

In order to utilizetheentire width of the spreader, I- providesupplemental sets of slides, brushes, and. distributor plates forytaking Careof t-hev Wheels ofv the machine.

This arrangement is more clearly portrayed in Fig. 6, and comprisesindependently oper! ablev slides 34 having curved portion 35 conformingto theshapeof the Wheel and operable by levers 36. It Willbe obviousthat if it is desired to shut off the material from this point of themachine, it is only necessary to lshove the leverinwardly, thus causingthe slide 34 to close the passage for the minerals. These slidesy .34,as Well as slides 3l, may

f be operated to vary the size of the discharge openingv in accordancewith the necessitates o f the occasion. .I furtherv provide supplementalbrushes 37'011 each side of the machine which engage the Wheels 3 and 4respectively for the purpose kof supplying variably metered quantitiesofminerals. In this case the Wheels 3 and y4 act as the feeding rolls. Thensupplemental'brushes are pivotally arranged and angularly disposed Withrespect to the Wheel, and are controllable by the lever 37 running alongthe side of the hopper as shown in Fig. 2.' The hopper is-shaped as.brushes and function in the same manner as y the maindistributing,device 30.

By discharging the minerals by the supplemental brushes and distributorplates, the spread is applied in advance of the point Where the wheelsengage the, surface, thus preventing the Wheels from picking upsubstantial quantities of tar and of slipping. The supplemental brushes34 are formed of bristles of differential .lengths in order. that thebrushes i Will engage b-oth'the top and sides of the tires.

As a further `means of @preventing tar from adhering to the Wheels, Iprovidea tank for supplying a suitable solution such as kerosene. Tbisisrepresentedby'reference numeral 40.*having a filling spout 4l and avalvular control 42. The kerosene discharges into the tray 43,providedWith a sheet of absorbent' material 44 Which applies the kerof sene t0the Wheel as at 45. The hopper has a door 46 for permitting a loadingtherefrom from the front. The door is piv-oted as at 47. ,',Fromtheforegoing description, yit will be apparent that the machine may ybereadily coupled to a suitable tractor by merelytaking oli'th/e front.Wheels of the tractor and applying the sprocket pinion 19 thereto andpivotal'lymoun'ting the rear ends of the Wheels 5 and 6to the rear axleof the tractor. This arrangement possesses they advantages abovediscussed. By virtue of the independently operable shutters, the Widthof the spread may be varied as desired according to the type of'Worknecessary or materialsused. On the other hand, the brushes are employed'for the purpose of regulating the size or thickness of the coat. Thesupplemental brushes and shutters possess the advantages aforesaid,namely, using the entire Width of the machine for discharging surfacingmedia if desired. i

The term hopper as employed herein is intended to include any suitablereceptacle for receiving the surfacing materials. The term brush isintended to include any device Which Will function substantially in themanner described and is not to be strictly limited to the conventionallyknown brush.

YvVhile I have shown and described one preferred embodiment of myinvention, yet it is not my desire to be limite-d to the exactarrangement or construction of parts as I realize that these may bevaried Without departing from the spirit of my invention as expressed inthe following claims.

lVhat I claim is:

l. A road building machine comprising a hopper for receiving stonesurfacing material having a transversely arranged discharge opening,means for feeding the stone surfacing materials from said opening, and avplurality of independent selectively operable shutters for controllingthe Width of the spread of stone surfacing material discharged from saidopening.

2. A road surfacing machine comprising a hopper having a dischargeopening, a feeding roller associated with said opening, an angularlydisposed brush associated with the hopper and defining, with saidroller, a substantially V-shaped pocket, and means for adjusting saidbrush with respect tothe roller to vary the thickness of the dischargedcoat of surfacing media.

3. A road surfacing machine comprising a hopper having a dischargeopening, a feeding roller associated with said opening, an angula'rlydisposed brush associated with the hopper yand defining, With saidroller, a substantially V-shaped pocket, and means for adjusting saidbrush lwith respect to the roller 'to vary the thickness of thedischarged coat of surfacing media, and means comprising a shuttersurmounting .the roller and normally overhanging the same for varyingthe Width of the spread.

4. A road surfacing machine for spreading minerals on tarred surfaces ofroadways comprising` a hopper having a discharge opening, a feedingdevice associatedivith the opening, means for varying the Width of thematerial spread comprising a plurality of independently operableshutters overhanging the feeding device Yand adapted to lbe moved toposi- Y tions .where theyclose selected portions of the opening providedby the hopper.

5. A road spreading machine comprising a hopper havingy a transverseopening pr l for varying the thickness of the spread, and a series ofshutters selectively operable to shut ofi' any pertionofsaid transverseopening.

6. A road Aspreading machine comprising a hopper having an opening, afeed roller cooperating with said opening, and adjustable means forvarying the thickness of the material spread, said hopper being providedwith supplemental discharge opening 'overhanging the wheels of thespreader,,whereby the' full width of the machine may rbe utilized forspreading materials, adjustable devices associated with the supplementalopenings'for varying the discharge of material therefrom. 7. A roadspreading machine comprising a hopper provided witha main transversedischarge opening for discharging minerals on the road-surface, saidhopper being provided with pockets in the sides thereof overhanging thewheels and having discharge openings leading therefrom, and meansassociated with said hopper foi-"controlling the openings. i

8. A road spreading machine for supplying granular minerals to roadways,comprising a hopper having a discharge opening, of a feeding rollermounted in proximity to said opening, an adjustable member operable tovary the thickness of the coating discharged by said feeding roller,supplemental pockets formed in the hopper overhanging the wheels andprovided with openings locatedin proximity to said wheels and wherebythe wheels function as feeding devices, means associated with saidwheelsand adjustable with respect thereto for varying the thickness ofthe material spread thereby.

9. A road spreading machine for supplying granular minerals to roadways,comprising a hopper having a discharge opening, of a feeding rollermounted in proximity to said opening, an adjustable member' operable tovaryV the thickness of the coating discharged by .said feeding roller,supplemental pockets formed in the hopper overhanging the wheels andprovided with .openings located in proximity to said wheels and wherebythe wheels function as feeding devices, means associated with saidwheels and adjustable with respect thereto for varying the thickness ofthe material spread, and shutter'devices for selectively cutting olf thedischarge of the minerals and varying the width of the spread on theroad.

`10. A road spreading machine comprising ahopper having an opening witha feed rollerk associated therewith, means cooperating with the rollerfor varying the size of the coating discharged thereby, afvibratorydistributor plate located below the feed'roller and operable'to vibratethe discharged minerals to secure an even distribution thereof priorftothe delivery of the minerals on the roadway.V

11. A road spreading machine comprising a receptacle for receivingsubstantialquantities of minerals to .be automatically supplied to theroadway, a discharge opening.

minerals, and defining with the roller a subv stantially V-shaped pocketfor receiving portions of the minerals, a plurality of inclined shutterdevices having portions thereof surmounting the roller to relieve theroller ofr the weight of the minerals on the shutter to thereby permitits free rotation, said'shutters being independently actuatable Vwherebyto vary the width of the spre-ad'on the roadway.

l2. A road spreading machine comprising an axle having wheels thereon, aroller mounted on said axle andy disposed in proximity to the openingprovided by the hopper of the machine, clutch means for connecting theroller to the wheels for permittingrotation thereby, a brush associatedwith the hop per and engageable with the roller, and means for adjustingthe brush to vary the thickness ofthe coat of material spread upontheroadway. v f

13. A road spreading machine comprising an axle having wheels thereon, aroller` levers secured to saidsliding shutters operable to vary thewidth of the materialspread.

1A. A road spreading machine comprising a wheeled hopper having adischarge opening for supplying minerals to tarred surfaces, means forfeeding the mineral from the hopper, and means for-continuouslysupplying kerosene or similar substances to the wheels of the hopper toprevent adherence of tar to said wheels. v

15. A road surfacing'machine comprisingl a wheeled hopper for receivingthe minerals to be discharged to the tarred surface ofthe roadways,means for supplying mineralsto Athe roadway at a point in advanceoflth'e point of attraction of the wheels onthe road,

said means comprising a hopper having fadischarge opening located inproximity to-a point to the wheels lof YtheV machine, said wheelsconstituting a means for feeding the minerals from the dischargeopening, and

vf means for feeding minerals from said opening and a plurality ofindependent selectively operable shutters for controlling the width ofthe spread discharged from said opening andl means for varying thethickness of the spread.

17. A road building machine providing a hopper for containing stonesurfacing material having a discharge opening, an angularly disposedbrush associated with said hopper and forming with said hopper a pocketportion, means for adjusting said brush relatively to the opening tovary the thickness of the dischargedy coat of surfacing media.

18. A road surfacing machine to supply minerals to tarred surfaces ofroadways comprising a wheeled hopper having discharge openingspositioned in proximityl to the wheels of the hopper, said wheelscooperating with theopenings of the hopper and functioning as feedingdevices for the minerals therefrom to discharge the same at a pointy inadvance of the wheels of thehopper to prevent kadherence of tar to thewheels.

19. -A road surfacing machine ofthe character described comprising ahopper having a transverse opening therein, a feeding roller associatedwith said opening for feeding surfacing materials from the hopper anddischarging them in the form of a spread upon the roadway, means ,forvarying the thickness of the spread upon the roadway, said meanscomprising an angularly disposed flexible element engaging the rollerwith means for varying its pressure upon the roller, said flexibleelement possessing the capability of permitting the passage ofrelatively large particles of extraneous materials therethrough at anytransverse point of said openf ing provided by the hopper withoutsubstantially effecting the even distribution of the vspread at otherpoints of the opening,

20. A road spreading machine of the character described comprising ahopper having discharge openings, a roller associated with said opening,a brush-like element having `'flexible lingers engaging the roller,means for varying the pressure of the brush fingers on the roller totherebyvary the thickness of the spread, and means for supporting asubstantial portion of the minerals within the hopper to prevent theweight thereof from substantially interfering with the free rotation ofthe feed roller.

21. A road spreading machine comprising i a hopper having a feed rollerassociated therewith for discharging minerals as a film to the roadway,means for varying the thickness of the spread, said means comprising ans point. f

22. A road building machine of the character described comprising ahopper adapted to be mounted in advance of a tractor and pivotallyconnected thereto comprising a hopper for receiving stone surfacingmaterial and the like, means for discharging the stone surfacingmaterial from the hopper, means for varying the width thereof, controllevers associated with the said last two mentioned means, a platform inclose proximity to the hopper, said control levers being operable withinreach from the platform whereby the thickness of the spread or the widththereof, may be varied during the transit of the machine over theroadway.

23. A road building machine for spreading stone ontarred surfaces ofroadways and the like comprising a hopper for receiving stone surfacingmaterial, wheels for supporting ksaid hopper, a feed roller rotatablewith the wheels, means cooperating with thesaid roller for adjusting thethickness of the stone spread uponthe roadway, a tractor connected withsaid hopper for pushing the same and means for changing the angularposition of the tractor relative to the hopper.

24. A road building machine for spreading stone on tarred surfaces ofroadways` and the like, comprising a hopper for receiving stonesurfacing material, wheels for supporting said hopper,amovable feedrollercooperating with the bottom of said hopper for discharging stonesurfacing material therefrom, means for varying the thickness of thestone spread upon the roadway, a tractor pivotally connected with saidhopper for pushing the same and means for changing the angular ture.

ALMA N. NICKERSON.

